Advent Calendar House

Latest Episodes:

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - A Hearth’s Warming Tail Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 2016, and a Scrooge-like unicorn is brewing a potion to eliminate Hearth’s Warming Eve from the calendar. That’s how potions work, right?

🎙 Jon and Bin from Bin’s Toy Bin and Santa by the Minute join us for a Scrooge Sunday canter through a “Christmas Carol” adaptation set in Equestria, the world of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.”

📺 You can watch “A Hearth’s Warming Tail” for free on YouTube.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Mike on Santa by the Minute.

The first My Little Pony special, from 1984: “Rescue at Midnight Castle.”

Patton Oswalt on My Little Pony.

Patton Oswalt literally on My Little Pony.

“It’s a Pony Kind of Christmas,” featuring characters who don’t celebrate Christmas singing Christmas songs, so the show’s composer had to clarify it wasn’t canon.

The mysterious “Derpy,” a.k.a. Muffins.

A short tangent about “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” air fresheners.

Today’s TV Trope: And You Were There.

A scene was cut featuring Discord in the Jacob Marley role.

He’s not in this episode, but there’s a character named Cheese Sandwich who is literally “Weird Al” Yankovic as a pony.

Bin takes roll call at the Hearth’s Warming Eve party.

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📼 Commercials:

My Little Pony Dream Castle Commercial (1983)

The Hub Network: 12 Days of Ponies Promo (2014)

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #2010s #scroogesunday #hasbro

A Very Merry Cricket Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1973, and a musical cricket is about to save the Christmas spirit during New York City’s quietest power failure.

🎙️ Michael DiGiovanni join us for a one-cat open sleigh ride into Chuck Jones’s beautifully animated sequel to “The Cricket in Times Square.”

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

A very insightful Letterboxd review.

Name That Christmas Special’s screenshot gallery for this special.

Today’s TV Trope: Bully Bulldog.

Mel Blanc’s voice for the Alley Cat sounds his voice for Clarence the Cat in “Birds Anonymous.”

DiGio introduces me to Yorkshire pudding.

“Down by the Old Mill Stream.”

The similar “Joy to the World” segment from “Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration.”

The final Classic Film Jerks movie, “Babes in Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers).”

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📼 Commercials:

Mel Blanc American Express Card Commercial (1971)

Rediscover the 80s podcasts, including The 80s Weekly and Memory Jogger.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1970s #chuckjones

The Wonder Years - A Very Cutlip Christmas Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1970 by way of 1990, and I just noticed the Santa Claus at the mall is actually my gym teacher.

🎙 Andy Gattis joins us on a revealing trip back to The Wonder Years as we salute Robert Picardo’s standout performance as Coach Cutlip… and Santa.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Joe Cocker’s version of “With a Little Help from My Friends” over the opening credits was replaced for streaming with a soundalike, only they don’t sound alike.

Almost all the original music is replaced, including a surf rock cover of “Sleigh Ride” by The Ventures.

Fred Savage in “Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time,” featuring Rex and Herb from “Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration.”

Coach Cutlip’s drawing of the female reproductive system.

Oops, Wikipedia linked to the wrong Jay Lambert (Tommy). Here’s the right guy.

Brandon Crane’s (Doug Porter) new podcast, “The Errorist.”

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📼 Commercials:

Pepsi “Love Letter” Commercial with Fred Savage (1990)

TGI Podcast.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1990s

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1997, and Tim Curry as an evil pipe organ is literally bringing down the house.

🎙 Kristi and Bri from Bad Princess Movies join us as we journey into the depths of Disney’s direct-to-video library for an unnecessary but charming midquel that explains why the Beast hates Christmas and raises even more questions about the curse on his castle.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Bad Princess Movies on Disney’s original “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Enchanted Christmas.”

Coming Soon previews from the original VHS.

Kathie Lee Gifford sang the soundtrack for “Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin.”

Behind “Prince Adam,” the Beast’s real name Disney never made official but keeps occasionally using.

Tim Curry as Darkness in “Legend” and as Hexxus in “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.”

How tall is the Beast’s castle compared to the real world’s tallest castle?

Disney can’t keep the Feather Duster’s name straight, either.

The West Wing at Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.

The terrifying air conditioner in “The Brave Little Toaster.”

The loudest organ ever built.

Belle wears her dress from this special during Christmastime at Disney parks.

Lisa Temming on designing Belle’s Christmas dress.

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📼 Commerciasls:

Disney Home Video Collection (1997)

Tiger Electronics Beauty and the Beast handheld game (1994)

Holidays After Dark.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1990s #disney

The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow Dec 10, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1975, and a shepherd boy just lost his sight after staring directly at a lightning bolt.

🎙️ Mike Troxell joins us as we return to enchanted world of Rankin/Bass Christmas specials for an overlooked, underrated, and redundantly titled hidden gem about neither the first Christmas, nor the first Christmas snow.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Vox’s Emily St. James ranks all the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials.

A very brief history of the Christmas card.

Was There Really Any Winter’s Snow at the Time of the Nativity in Bethlehem?

Flash blindness is real.

Arthur Rankin Jr. recalling how Irving Berlin really, REALLY didn’t want “White Christmas” in the special.

This exact sound of a wolf howling (or, actually, a coyote) is heard over and over again.

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📼 Commercials:

Toys “R” Us Time of Year Christmas Commercial (1976)

Christmas Creeps.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1970s #rankinbass

TaleSpin - Jolly Molly Christmas Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1990, and a little girl’s Christmas wish is about to get shot out of the sky.

🎙 Joey O. join us for the podcast’s first voyage into the Disney Afternoon as Baloo the cargo pilot bear attempts to save his boss’s daughter’s belief in Santa.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Joey’s Christmas TV lineup that he wrote on a piece of paper around 1991 and found again 30 years later.

The TaleSpin/Quantum Leap joke.

Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” the animated one, is somehow Germany’s biggest box office draw ever.

“Tales of the Gold Monkey,” a single-season TV show that inspired “TaleSpin.”

“What a Dummy,” an even shorter single-season TV show featuring Janna Michaels (Molly) and a living ventriloquist’s dummy.

Joey’s Interview with Pat Fraley (Wildcat), again!

Today’s TV Trope: String-on-Finger Reminder.

Cape Suzette and Louie’s Place on the Disney Wiki.

Flunkey, the Einstein-haired monkey from “The Jungle Book” whose “TaleSpin” counterpart appears to be Santa Louie’s “elf,” Waldo.

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📼 Commercials:

McDonald’s TaleSpin Happy Meal Toys (1990)

Snow in Southtown.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1990s #disney

Pat Boone and Family Christmas Special Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1979, and no one wants to go to Pat Boone’s lame Christmas party, but everyone’s here to dunk on him.

🎙 Guy Hutchinson extends an invitation to discover this bizarre but wholesome special featuring the Hudson Brothers, the stars of “The Ropers” as themselves but also still as the Ropers, and a criminally brief appearance by Yogi Bear and his Hanna-Barbera friends.

📺 You can watch the “Pat Boone and Family Christmas Special” on Tubi.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Pat Boone’s album of heavy metal covers from 1997.

TV Guide’s ad for the special, prominently featuring Yogi Bear and friends.

“The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show,” as seen in a “Family Guy” cutaway gag.

“The Seventh Python,” Brett Hudson’s 2008 documentary about frequent Monty Python collaborator Neil Innes.

“Largo al Factotum,” the “Figaro” song from “The Barber of Seville.”

Dinah Shore’s giant belt buckle.

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📼 Commercials:

Master Charge Christmas Commercial (1979)

Season’s Eatings.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1970s #hannabarbera

A Christmas Carol (1971) Dec 04, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s 1971, and Alastair Sim is delivering an even more animated performance as Scrooge.

🎙️ Michael May and Rob Graham join us as we invade your personal space for salute an animated adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” that bent the rules and became the last TV special to win an Oscar, directed by Richard Williams and executive produced by Chuck Jones.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Michael May’s Christmas Carol Project entries on 1971’s “A Christmas Carol.”

CED Magic’s “Christmas Carol” screen adaptation directory.

John Leech’s original illustrations for the Dickens story.

AfterLUNCH on Christmas Ghosts (And One Carol in Particular).

The rarely seen Phantom Hearse.

Visions of Young Scrooge’s favorite stories dancing in his head.

Alex Williams’s website and blog post about his memory of voicing Tiny Tim at age 4.

One notable businessman from the future and his gross nose.

The Making of Richard Williams’s “A Christmas Carol.”

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📼 Commercials:

NyQuil Scrooge Commercial, circa 1968.

Bell Telephone Christmas Commercial (1978)

“The Christmas Book: The Ultimate Guide to Your Favorite Holiday,” by Ed Daly.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #1970s #scroogesunday

Prep & Landing Trilogy Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

🎄 It’s the Advent Calendar House’s 5th anniversary, so instead of celebrating one Christmas special, we watched three!

🎙️ Jeff Somogyi and Paxton Holley help us clear the runway as we salute Disney’s trilogy of 2009’s “Prep & Landing,” 2010’s “Operation: Secret Santa,” and 2011’s “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.”

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Disney’s Prep & Landing Website from 2009 is still up with character and gadget profiles.

“Tiny’s Big Adventure,” a minute-long short starring Magee’s assistant.

Super Golden Crisp Cereal’s Sugar Bear musical Christmas ornament.

Prep & Landing Easter eggs.

Santa’s castle looks familiar.

Noel’s early cameo in “Operation: Secret Santa.”

A hat tip to the Classic Film Jerks.

Captain Avalanche and Snowball’s poster looks like a Batman and Robin Detective Comics cover.

“Naughty, Naughty Children” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

“Nuttin’ for Christmas” by the Plain White T’s.

“The Ballad of Nessie,” who makes 2 cameos.

Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” appears.

“Mansion: Impossible,” featuring Wayne and Lanny prepping the Avengers Mansion.

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📼 Commercials:

Coca-Cola: Santa Packs are Coming (1994)

Campbell’s Soup: Snowman (1995)

Can’t Wait for Christmas’s reminder to play “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson more.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s9 #2000s #2010s #disney

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948) Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

🎄 November 1st is Christmas Podcast Day! I don’t make the rules; I just use the hashtag.

🎙 Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas and Matt Spaulding from North Pole Radio join us as on a very important mission to dig up the original animated adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a 1948 short film that predates the song.

📺 You can watch “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s First Starring Film Role (Library of Congress, 2014)

The 1951 re-release, featuring the new “Rudolph” song.

The Advent Calendar House episode on Rankin/Bass’s “Rudolph.”

Disney’s Very Merry Christmas Sing-Along Songs.

Water Polo, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Chevrolet: The Life of Jam Handy (Collegiate Water Polo Association, 2019)

Matt’s Little Golden Book of Rudolph, illustrated by Richard Scarry.

Paul Wing’s Rudolph record from 1947.

“Rudolph’s 2nd Christmas.”

George Klensinger, who arranged the original Silent Night intro, also composed “Tubby the Tuba.”